1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure is generally directed to various methods and apparatuses that may be used for vibratory separation of materials, and in particular to various screens for vibratory separation devices that may be configured to increase and/or maximize the effect of forces generated by vibratory separation devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
Vibratory separation devices are used in a wide variety of industries to separate materials such as liquids from solids or solids from solids. One type of vibratory separation device that is often used to separate materials during well drilling operations, such as oil in gas well drilling operations and the like, is known as a shale shaker. On many drilling rigs, a shale shaker is typically the first equipment component that is used to treat drilling fluid mixtures returning from the wellbore, and are used to remove undesirable solids materials, such as drill cuttings, from the fluid, i.e., drilling mud, that is used to drill the well.
In general, a shale shaker includes a box-like frame, called a basket, which receives the material to be separated, e.g., a mixture of drill cuttings and drilling mud or fluid. A deck, or other screen holding or mounting structure, is supported within the basket and includes one or more screen sections that remove solid particles from fluid as the fluid passes through the screen. A vibrating apparatus is coupled to the shale shaker to vibrate the screens to enhance the separation process.
In operation, the mixture of drill cuttings and drilling fluid is fed into the shale shaker on top of the screen sections, and particles that are larger than the openings in the screen section are caught on top of the screen. The shale shaker is configured to vibrate the screen in such a manner that the particles caught by the screen are moved along, and eventually off of, the screen section. Therefore, the screen sections must be configured to process a high volume of fluid, separate particles of various different sizes from the fluid, and withstand the high forces that are generated by the vibration of the shale shaker and movement of the drill cuttings and drilling fluid.
Accordingly, there is a continuing need in the art to develop new methods and separation apparatuses that may provide screen sections that mitigate, or even overcome, these and other limitations of existing methods and separation equipment.